Charles Henry Stuart (b.1809) stowed away to America

[lhstuart3]

I need help finding one of my ancestors, Charles Henry Stuart. 

Family history tells us that he was born in 1809, in Highgate, Middlesex, London, and that he stowed away on a ship to America.  I have no idea when he arrived here, only that he is a first-generation Stuart here in the United States.  Whatever ship he was on first arrived in Baltimore, and he found work as a school teacher, before moving south to Georgia.

Someone in the family thinks they remember hearing somewhere along the line that his father was named John and his mother may have been named Jane, and that he might have had both a brother and a sister.  Supposedly, he stowed away because he was the younger brother and would not get any family money and there was nothing for him in England. 

There is also some family discussion that there may be records of his birth/christening in the parish records at St. Pancras Church in Middlesex, but I have not been able to locate anything.  None of my online research turns up any records older than 1813 at the church, and the names don't match. 

I've been able to find a ship manifest that includes a Charles Stuart, but that gentleman is older than my Charles Henry Stuart, and a paying passenger doesn't fit the family story of a stow-away. 

I would really appreciate any help/suggestions that anyone can provide. 

Thanks, Lindy in Alabama.

[philipsearching]

Greetings, and a warm welcome to Rootschat

Stowaways are tricky to research because (as you have found) they are not generally named on passenger lists.

To help the search - could you tell us what records (especially the earliest record) Charles appears on in the USA?  Census, marriage or whatever.  Some of these records may give parents' names or date of arrival which can be helpful.

Unfortunately, the first helpful census in England was in 1841 - probably too late for your ancestor.  Not all church registers (particularly in and around London) are available online - some were lost due to WW2 bombing and many have not yet been transcribed and uploaded.  However, more information is uploaded every year so there is every reason to be optimistic.

Sorry I haven't provided the answer yet, but the more information we start with the better we can search.

All the best
Philip

[CarolA3]

None of my online research turns up any records older than 1813 at the church, and the names don't match.

Welcome to RootsChat Lindy

In 1813 the Church of England introduced new rules instructing the clergy to use a set of pre-printed books for recording baptisms, marriages, and burials.  That's why the C of E records at Ancestry are divided into pre- and post-1813 sets.

The earlier records for London are here: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/lmaearlyparish/

You'll find that the records before 1813 are often a lot less tidy and the amount of detail varied from one clergyman to another, which is why the standardised books were introduced.  Good luck with your search

Carol